Jeremy Lin no stranger to NBA All-Star weekend

Even NBA commissioner David Stern can't stop the Lin-sanity.

Forty-eight hours after Stern told USA Today that Jeremy Lin would not be added to the roster for one of the NBA All-Star Weekend's showcase events, the league did just that.

Lin said Friday that he was surprised to learn he was added Thursday to the Feb. 24 Rising Stars Challenge, which features rookies and second-year players.

But this won't be Lin's first time at the All-Star Game. He went to last year's festivities in Los Angeles, in part to make an appearance for NBA China and in part as a fan.

"I did a couple, like, appearances," said Lin, who was a little-used rookie with the Golden State Warriors at the time. "But I just wanted to check it out just because it was just something new to me. I had never been to an All-Star Game or All-Star Weekend. That was just an experience."

This year, Lin will be going to Orlando, Fla., as the NBA's hottest property after the league expanded the Rising Stars roster to add him. It makes sense, given that no player in recent memory has risen as quickly or unexpectedly as Lin has.

"I thought the rosters came out a while ago," Lin said after Knicks practice Friday. "But then people just started telling me I made it. I didn't even know. They must have done whatever . . . something to put an extra guy in there."

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Going into Friday night's home game against New Orleans, Lin had led the Knicks to seven straight victories. The undrafted free agent out of Harvard was averaging 24.4 points and 9.1 assists during the winning streak and 24.3 points and 9.5 assists in his six starts.

Last year, Lin was a starstruck 22-year-old, the evidence of which still is visible on his Facebook page. Under the headline "All-Star Weekend 2011," Lin posted five photos -- including one of him in a group with future Knicks teammate Amar'e Stoudemire and one of Lin taking a nap on a hotel bed.

"It was fun," Lin said. "I think it was pretty busy. I wasn't expecting it to be that busy. But I'm more prepared this year, I guess."

Lin will play in the Rising Stars game along with Knicks teammate Landry Fields after being chosen by general manager Shaquille O'Neal with his third pick, after former No. 1 overall draft picks Blake Griffin and Kyrie Irving.

"It's definitely exciting, but right now, I try not to think too far ahead," Lin said. "Just take it one day at a time. Obviously, it's an honor to be able to play with Landry in that game and I think [Iman Shumpert] should be in that game, as well, but that's the way it goes."

Lin also is expected to help Shumpert in the Feb. 25 Slam Dunk competition by passing his rookie teammate the ball in some yet-to-be determined routine. So he'll be busy, but Lin is happy to not have the weekend off.

"My season's only been seven games long, so I'm doing OK," he said. "I'm just going to play in one game and it's not really going to be taxing on my body. I'll probably stand around half-court and throw a couple alley-oop passes. That's more just a fun thing and an honor to be out there. Besides that, I'm not really doing appearances or anything. I'm just going to relax, rest and let my legs come back."

Of his experience so far with "Lin-sanity," Lin said: "Obviously, it's a little mentally and emotionally taxing in terms of just being pulled in a hundred different directions. But at the end of the day, that comes with the territory, and it's my job to focus on resting and making sure it doesn't affect my performance on the court. That's on me and not on anyone else."

With Jim Baumbach